Part 2 Project 1 Composition 1

Composition 1

It has become clear that I need my ideas about composition clarifying somewhat so I've turned to Margaret Davidson (2011) because she has a good chapter about it.  Davidson differentiates between two sorts of composition; that used traditionally and that used in contemporary drawing although they have similarities:

"Composition in contemporary drawing is often the same as composition in traditional drawing. The two share such things as power centres, pathways for the eye, and, above all, balance". p103

I can understand this but only in the very vaguest of terms so I'm going to unpick it and see what I can find out that will help me.

Davidson begins by describing the difference between a sketch and a drawing.  Basically a sketch is the marks made by the artist taking no account of anything else.  A drawing is the marks made in relation to the position and shape the artist decides upon - creating a unity.  That is the format the drawing will take.  I suppose other decisions like what sort of paper and what media are also part of this process.  

Traditional approaches to composition

The aim of any drawing is to create a piece of work that is cohesive and gains then holds the attention. Davidson starts by exploring Balance.

Eye level

The position the artist adopts defines the way the the viewer experiences the drawing.  To date my drawings have all been at eye level (or straight on) but much of what we see is not at this level.  We see things in high cupboards and at floor level all the time but I've not considered drawing things from these angles or how important it might be to giving the viewer a message.  Davidson uses the example of A Tied up Man on the Ground (Study for a Firing Squad)  by Zhi Lin (1995).  The artist puts the viewer in a higher position than the man who lies bound and powerless on the ground.  In this way the viewer is given authority and made complicit in what is happening.  It is very emotive.

A Tied up Man on the Gound (Study for a Firing Squad)  by Zhi Lin (1995) p106

Balance

In my last Assignment I knew intuitively that something was wrong with the balance and my tutor helped me to understand what it was.

Assignment 1

Davidson uses the analogy of a seesaw to explain how a drawing should be balanced:

"Imagine a seesaw.....If two people who are the same weight are on either end, then the seesaw balances.  If one person weighs more than the other, then the plank has to shift off centre to bring the heavier person closer to the fulcrum...and balance is again achieved". p108

I find this really helpful and I can relate it to my Assignment.  The elements on either side of my drawing are out of kilter so the balance is wrong.  Put another way, the too heavy shadow and the shoes do not balance.

Davidson could almost have seen my work because she writes " intangibles like cast shadows....can be used as compositional tools for arriving at asymmetrical balance". p108

Asymmetrical balance is used in abstract as well as figurative art because balance is needed in both.  

There is also a balance to be struck between the foreground and the background.

Eye pathways

The artist can manipulate the composition by the way the drawing is organised.  The viewer can be led into the drawing in various ways when the artist creates an "eye pathway".  In traditional composition there is usually a compositional structure within which the artist works - in still life this is often a triangle.  There are some things that always attract the eye first.  "These are faces, vectors, high contrast points, power centres and focal points". p 110 

Faces of anything, even a toy are a real attraction for the viewer and the artist has to be mindful of this and the way it will influence the work will be received.

The same can be said for vectors that are directional indicators (anything that points out a path).

Focal points are an area where the artist wants the viewer to look and it is usually the place the eye reaches first and the place the composition centres around.

I find the idea of power centres more difficult to grasp.  Davidson informs us that the idea of  "power centres" was put forward by Rudolf Arnheim and that they are a given whatever the artist may do.

"The vertical rectangle has a power center just above the middle.  The horizontal rectangle has two power centres, one on either side of the middle.  And the square has a power centre exactly in the middle. Only the square has a power centre that aligns itself with the geographic centre...." p 110

High contrast points are exactly that - points at which black meets white (or similar).

The Golden Section

Davidson spends some time describing "The Golden Section" but she admits that it a vast area that she only touches the edges of.  This geometrical theory is also known as the golden ratio or the golden mean and was used from antiquity in architecture and art.  It is a ratio that is seen often in nature and everyday life and is easy on the eye.

This is how it works:

1

2

3

4  Ratio applied to a drawing called Golden Still Life by Donaldson

On page 114 Davidson gives clear instructions for making this Golden Rectangle and I know I can refer to it should I need to.

Modern/contemporary compositional structures

I feel I must mention the second compositional strand described by Donaldson and this is the one used by abstract artists.  Experimentation throughout the 20th century has led to a new compositional structure that is very different to the traditional one.  I don't think I need to get to grips with this right now but simply acknowledge that I'm aware of it.

I understand what I have read intellectually and realise that I knew some of it intuitively but I'm not sure how I might use the ideas in practice.





Davidson. M. 2011.  Contemporary Drawing.  Watson Guptill.  New York